Qatar Daily News

Qatar joined the rest of the world to mark the Earth Hour, a global energy-saving event, with many of the country’s landmark buildings switching off their lights for an hour, from 8.30pm-9.30pm, yesterday.
The campaign is supported by 4,000 cities in a record 125 countries and includes 1,200 landmarks from the Forbidden City to Egypt’s Pyramids and the Las Vegas Strip.
The WWF-run event officially began when New Zealand’s Chatham Islands switched off their diesel generators to leave just 12 street lamps burning and was to end nearly 24 hours later in Samoa.
Among the organiSations that took part in the campaign in Qatar were the Qtel tower (headquarters), the Movenpick Tower & Suites, the Marriott Doha and the British embassy.
Children of British embassy staff also created a collage to mark the event. Read the rest of this entry »

Qatar Airways are trying to develop a biofuel that will enable them to keep on flying and become carbon neutral.

The project will be a joint affair between Qatar Airways, Qatar Science & Technology Park, and Qatar Petroleum. The trio has established the Qatar Advanced Biofuel Platform which will focus on devoloping economically viable and sustainable biofuel production along with the aspects of market and strategic analysis.
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When most of us think of convention centers, we think of big empty spaces that are certainly not very environmentally friendly. That’s not the case for the next generation of centers — case in point, the very cool looking Qatar National Convention Center. The striking 177,000 square meter structure is seeking a LEED Gold Rating, a first for a building of its type in the region. When it’s completed next year the center will boast 3,700 square meters of solar panels in addition to a host of other resource-saving features.
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Qatar has partnered with Airbus to manufacture and supply the sustainable bio-jet fuel. The project, the value of which was not disclosed, would begin with production for Qatar’s civilian air fleet and later exportation of the fuel to European and other clients.

Qatar is one of the leading investors in the agricultural sector in Sudan, says a former minister of irrigation of Egypt.

Mahmoud Abu Zaid is currently chairman of Arab Water Council. The Arab world is rich in water resources and agriculture. It’s lands are fertile. This is especially true of Sudan which is indeed the food basket of the Arab world.

Such resources are in need of capital-intensive investment as well as management. So the government and the private sector have already begun setting up food growing and processing projects in Sudan.

The investors in Sudan, which are commercial entities and not individuals, are all from Arab countries. Qatar has the largest investment in Sudan’s agricultural sector besides having investment in other areas of economy.
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Qatar is set to become the newest member of the World Green Building Council (WGBC) with the formation of their own non-profit organisation to promote sustainable development.

The Qatar Green Building Council (QGBC) is being established by the Qatar Foundation (QF) and will encourage the construction industry to adopt environmentally friendly building practices.

QGBC will also develop a new green building model that will become the standard for all developers in Qatar, said QGBC founder Issa Mohamed al-Mohannadi in a report in the Gulf Times.

“QGBC will not only work to create awareness of the importance of sustainable environment management practices, it will also act as the central co-ordination point for the development of our own set of Qatar-specific green building solutions,” he said.

“These solutions will form the basis of a green building model, which will be adapted to specifically suit our culture and architecture.”
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There is at least one airline listening to passenger’s calls for better meal service and an attention to eco-responsibility. Qatar Airways has just announced a complete revampment of their in-flight food service for flights to and from England, and surprisingly the focus is on quality in economy class.

Instead of sad, beige plastic trays with the airline logo, Qatar Airways will be rolling out clear, 99% recyclable lightweight trays and serving sets which will be set onto a placemat in a color of your choosing.

As for the actual food going into the eco-friendly containers, the press release has all the details:

For the main meals of lunch and dinner and, in keeping with the airline’s Five Star Arabic hospitality, each tray will offer a flavour of Arabia with a regional dressing or dip, such as humus, to serve with the fresh salad starter accompanied by Arabic bread. Malaysian chicken curry, fish and fennel pot pie and Indian style kadi pakora are among the selection of mouth-watering main meals. In addition to fresh fruit, a healthy yoghurt and croissant with preserves, Economy passengers travelling at breakfast time will be able to choose from two hot dishes such as Zucchini and Majoran Fritatta with Cherry tomatoes or Apple and Cinnamon crepe with maple syrup and berry garnish.
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The majority of Qatar’s listed endangered species are marine ones. This is contrary to the global trend, wherein terrestrial species predominantly make up the endangered group, said the Doha-based environmental expert Dr Iain Macdonald.

Macdonald, of the Safety, Environment and Quality Department, QatarGas, said Qatar is home to at least 955 marine species. Of this, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has included 27 in its “Red List” of threatened species. The IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network.

Among some of the more commonly known endangered species in Qatari waters are various species of sea turtle. Sharks are well represented on the endangered list.

In addition to marine pollution, land-based pollution has significant impact on marine biodiversity in Qatar. Qatar, along with its neighboring states, faces this issue due to the structure of the Gulf and the high number of coastal industries in the region.
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Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 embraces the ideals of sustainable environmental and human development.

‘Qatar is committed to protecting and conserving the environment without harming its competitiveness. This path means that Qatar will need to invest more in research and new technologies that promote sustainable development,’ said Dr. Ibrahim Ibrahim, the Secretary General of the General Secretariat for Development Planning (GSDP).

Qatar’s environmental challenges, including climate change issues, and goals were discussed by some two hundred national participants and experts in a seminar organized by the GSDP.

The panel discussions highlighted the pressures that rapid development, natural resource exploitation and population growth put on water security, marine biodiversity and the natural and built-up environment. According to the experts sustainable development depends on successfully managing and integrating environmental, economic, human and social goals.
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